Former university correspondents of various national dailies and electronic media form a human chain in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday, demanding withdrawal of Comilla University correspondent Iqbal Monowar’s illegal expulsion. — New Age photo
Journalists on Saturday continued their protest against the rustication of a campus correspondent following his report on Comilla University vice-chancellor’s speech on how corruption could bring ‘development’.
A group of journalists formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka calling upon the CoU authorities to withdraw their decision immediately, and allow student-cum-journalist Mohammad Iqbal Monawar to continue his education and reporting freely on the campus.
Iqbal Monawar is Comilla University correspondent for the national daily Jaijaidin and a post-graduate student at English department of the university.
According to university officials, CoU vice-chancellor AFM Abdul Moyeen gave a 57-minute speech at an orientation and senior farewell ceremony of marketing department on the campus on July 31.
At one point of the speech, the VC spoke on the importance of critical thinking and said, at the economic point of view, earning through corruption increases purchasing power. For instance, if a person receives bribe can rush to the Padma to eat hilsa, and help poor people there to be benefited financially.
‘But,’ he said, ‘It [corruption] is bad in the view of morality and ethics.’
Because of this, he also argued that, economists hardly spoke about corruption. ‘Why China is such a developed country as because everyone in China is involved in corruption,’ he continued in his speech.
The Jaijaidin online, on July 31, reported that Abdul Moyeen had said Bangladesh sees development as there is corruption.
The campus reporter then in his report quoted what exactly the vice-chancellor said in the programme.
The vice chancellor office on August 2 rusticated Iqbal Monawar for publishing ‘deliberately’ misleading news by ‘distorting’ the vice-chancellor statement in the July 31 programme.
On Saturday, Abdul Moyeen did not respond to New Age.
CoU acting registrar Amirul Islam Chowdhury said an expulsion order was sent to Iqbal Monawar on August 2 from the Registrar’s Office following a preliminary report by the university’s proctorial body on the incident.
Iqbal Monawar refuted the allegation brought against him and said he covered the event as a journalist but was expelled from the university without following legal procedure.
‘My suspension is absolutely dictatorial decision. I am wronged for my journalistic work,’ he told New Age.
Since his expulsion order surfaced, journalists and professional bodies continued to protest in Cumilla and other places against the decision.
At the human chain in Dhaka on Saturday, the Education Reporters Association, Bangladesh president and Dhaka University Journalist Association’s former president Mir Mohammad Jashim said the CoU vice-chancellor has misused his power and by doing this, he lost his eligibility as a VC.
At the programme, Jahangirnagor University Journalists Association former president and Daily Star staff correspondent Md Asaduzzaman urged the vice-chancellor to change the decision.
Dhaka College Journalists Association former president Mahmudul Hasan said the vice-chancellor not only violated the law of the university but also violated the human rights of Iqbal Monawar.
The human chain decided to approach Anti-Corruption Commission and the University Grants Commission seeking action against the vice-chancellor.
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